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Delta Variant Push People to Get the Shot; U.K. Prepare for a Third Booster Shot; China Seeing an Uptick in Cases; Americans Waiting for FDA Approved Booster Shot; China Seeing a New Spike in Cases; Belarusian Athlete Ask for an Asylum; Athletes Show True Meaning of Sportsmanship; Iran Oil Tanker Killed Two; Moment of truth for Palestinian Families; Republicans Boost Vaccination Campaign; Senate Unveil Their Bipartisan Deal; Young Pilot to Tour Around the World. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired August 02, 2021 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, the Delta variant spiking COVID cases in the United States. The good news? Vaccination rates are also on the rise. The U.K. planning to rollout coronavirus booster shots, when those jabs could be going into arms.

And drama at the Tokyo Games, but not in in arena or on a track. And Olympian said she needs help and fears returning home to Belarus.

Good to have you with us.

Well more pandemic weary Americans are getting the point. The vaccines work. The number of new shots being given is rising quickly. The CDC reports that more than 700,000 Americans got a dose of vaccine for the past five straight days. Still, just slightly less than half the country is now fully vaccinated. Tens of millions, still unvaccinated are vulnerable to the more contagious Delta variant, and new cases are climbing.

Take a look at this map. All of those states in dark red have new cases jumping at least 50 percent compared to the week before. Hospitalizations are also surging so health officials are stressing this number. More than 99.999 percent of people who are fully vaccinated will survive a breakthrough infection.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says the country has made progress but there is still a long way to go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I don't think we will see lockdowns, I think we will see enough of the percentage of people in the country, not enough to crush the outbreak, but I do believe enough to not allow us into the situation we were in last winter. But things are going to get worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): And Florida has become new epicenter of the surge. The state accounts for nearly one in five of all new cases in the entire country.

CNN's Randi Kaye is in Florida and breaks down the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: In the past week or so, we've seen more than 110,000 new cases here in the state of Florida of COVID. The daily average is about 15, 800. And over the weekend, we set a number for the most new cases in a single day since the pandemic began with 21,683 new cases on Saturday.

And if you look at how Florida is contributing to the number of cases around the country, 19.2-point percent of all COVID cases reported in the U.S. are right here in Florida, mainly south Florida. Also, we are experiencing similar numbers to what we saw back in January, really, at the height of the pandemic.

Florida also still just about 49 percent of the population here is fully vaccinated. So, still a ways to go. There is also a lot of concern about schools reopening and what's happening to children under 12 or not yet eligible for the vaccine. If you look at the numbers there, cases among that age group under 12, nearly 11,000 children in the last week or so testing positive under 12 years old, for COVID. The positivity rate for that age group now is 18.1 percent, the statewide positivity rate is 18.2 percent.

And the governor here says that you cannot mandate masks in the classroom when the students return. He has issued an executive order, saying that you cannot do that, he wants it to be up to the parents, he wants the parents to have the choice, whether or not they want to mask their children.

He says any district who defies his executive order could risk losing funding, could possibly become ineligible for grants. So, the government certainly pushing hard to avoid any mask mandates and keep the state wide open.

I'm Randi Kaye reporting in Riviera Beach, Florida. Back to you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Thank you for that report. And while there is still an urgent push to get more Americans vaccinated against COVID- 19, some are already looking ahead to possible booster shots. A former head of the FDA was asked if data on breakthrough infections made the case for vaccine boosters more urgent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:04:57]

SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FORMER COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: Look, I certainly think so for the elderly and the vulnerable population. One of the -- one of the pieces of data that was in that CDC data said they look at an outbreak in nursing homes and they found that the vaccines in that setting in this outbreak with 61 percent effective at preventing infection.

They were still 85 percent effective at preventing severe disease. So, the initial premise is still intact if they are preventing people from getting very sick.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Well the U.K. is already planning for a boost in the coming weeks. Health officials are preparing to offer a third shot beginning in September to the most vulnerable.

For more on that, let's bring in CNN's Salma Abdelaziz, she joins us live from London. Great to see you, Salma. So, what is the latest on these plans for booster shots starting next month?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Hello, Rosemary. So, this is something that scientists, medical experts have been working on for months now, it's something that the government had said that everyone should plan for. The possibility of booster shots now we are now hearing that this is going to take place in September.

So, really early on to really provide a layer of protection across the population for those who are most vulnerable through the winter season. Because of course that is of concern that could potentially be a time period in which we see yet another spike in cases.

So, authorities are kind of looking ahead and preparing for that. And it comes on the back of a paper that was published by the government body that advises the authorities on their COVID-19 policy stage. This is a not peer reviewed paper, it is theoretical but it does lay out a few scenarios, Rosemary, in which the virus is able to evade the vaccine.

This was a paper published on Friday, and it goes through the scenarios and says, it is very likely that the virus will be able to vaccine -- to evade the vaccine, rather, at some point. It also lays out the scenario of the possibility that the virus just become something like the common cold, and it says realistically, that's not going to happen in the short term. It could happen in the long-term, but for now, this is a virus that the population is going to have to live with.

So, there's a few recommendations in there in this paper, of course key among them is a type of booster shot, which is what the U.K. authorities are already working on. But there is also recommendation in there to prevent variants from re-combining, Rosemary. That's what authorities are concerned about, that variants mixed with other variants not leads to yet another mutation that could evade the vaccine, so really preparing here for living with the virus long term but still protecting those vaccine gains, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Salma, the U.K. no longer requires vaccinated E.U. or U.S. visitors to quarantine. What more can you tell us about that?

ABDELAZIZ: Yes. Some really happy news a bit more freedom here today if you are a traveler coming from the E.U. or from the United States and you can show that you are fully vaccinated. So, you have to have official paperwork that shows you are fully vaccinated, you now no longer have to quarantine in the U.K.

This is a major shift in policy for the last few months, it involved a long quarantine, multiple tests, but there is still some caveats here, Rosemary. Travelers will also have to show a negative PCR test before departure. They will also have yet another COVID-19 vac -- COVID-19 test rather, two days after their arrival in the U.K.

So, a few limitations there. There is also one big exception, France, if you are coming from France, you still have to follow quarantine rules. But this is something that airliners, the travel industry, so many have been asking for and it does mean that families can be reunited again and tourists can potentially come back. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from London with some good new news there. We always take that when it comes back to us. Thanks so much.

And booster shots are already a reality in Israel. Over the weekend, officials began offering boosters to people over 60 who have already been fully vaccinated. The campaign kicked off with President Isaac Herzog becoming the first person to get a third shot on Friday.

In China, officials are trying to contain a COVID outbreak that started in Nanjing airport nearly two weeks ago. And it has spread to 11 provinces and 26 cities.

CNN's Steven Jiang joins us now from Beijing. Good to see you, Steven. So, how are officials dealing with this outbreak?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, the central leadership has now sent a vice premier to Nanjing to supervise the local response to the outbreak. And this is the same senior official they sent to Wuhan in the peak of that city's outbreak in the beginning of the global pandemic. That's how seriously concerned the leadership feels about the spread of this new cluster which really shows no sign of abating.

As you mention on Sunday, they recorded 99 new locally transmitted cases. This number may pale in comparison to what we are seeing in many parts of the world, including in the U.S., but in this country, they hadn't seen this level of infection for months. And now, of course, it's impacting not just airport staff but also airline crews, school children, and tourists, and the doctors, and the nurses across the country.

[03:09:58]

That's why increasingly we see local authorities reimpose draconian measures we hadn't seen for a long time. And that means now millions of Chinese residents who are again being confined to their homes as the government has designated more than 90 so-called high or medium risk areas.

And all of this, of course, is happening in the middle of the peak summer travel season, that doesn't help things so we are seeing more and more tourist attractions, as well as airports being shut down as well. As local officials including those here in Beijing advising residents not to leave town.

And in the Chinese capital they have greatly tightened entry requirements and effectively banning anyone from those high and a medium risk area from entering the city by cutting off transportation links to these regions. But as of now, there is no indication the leadership here is going to change their current approach which is zero tolerance towards locally transmitted cases.

So, Rosemary, do expect to see more lockdowns and a short decline in domestic travel in the near future. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Right. We'll be watching very closely. Steven Jiang, many thanks.

Joining me now in East Greenwich in Rhode Island is Dr. Megan Ranney. She is a professor of emergency medicine and an associate dean of public health at Brown University.

Thank you so much, doctor, for talking with us and for all that you do.

MEGAN RANNEY, PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Thank you. It's a joy to be here really, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Wonderful.

Wonderful. Doctor, Israel is now administering a third COVID booster and the uk is doing the same next month. When should other nations follow suit, do you think?

RANNEY: Well here in the United States we will follow the same process that we have throughout the vaccine rollout. So, we need to wait for data that's presented to the FDA. Wait for them to review it and for them to approve it before we start administering boosters.

I fully expect at this point that we will be following the lead of Israel and the data from Israel and likely administering boosters to those who are immuno suppressed, folks who have cancer, those immuno suppressed in drugs, and possibly to the elderly as well. The timeline is still up in the air, it's really up until the FDA gives us clearance.

CHURCH: All right, so we'll be watching Israel very closely clearly. And Dr. Anthony Fauci is crediting some Republican politicians to encourage for helping encourage a recent uptick in vaccination rates about a third of Americans have been pushing back. Is that what you are seeing and is that patients are telling you when they come to get their shots?

RANNEY: You know, I offer folks shots in the emergency department, and they have a variety of reasons that they've avoided shots. They also have a variety of reasons that they accept them from me. A lot of times they've avoided them either because it was too complicated to figure out where to get it, or because of some of these myths and frank lies that some politicians and influencers have been peddling.

I do think that Republican politicians speaking up in favor of vaccines is starting to make a difference, I also think sadly that the Delta variant itself is making a difference, as folks see that they are once again at risk by not getting a vaccine, that takes away some of the hesitancy or some of the barriers that may have kept people from showing up.

CHURCH: And Dr. Fauci also believes that enough people in the country are now protected to prevent lockdowns, but he says things will get worse. Do you agree with him on both of those points?

RANNEY: I do agree with him on both. You know, regarding lockdowns, we have a lot of Americans vaccinated now. Approximately 50 percent across the country are fully vaccinated, although of course that's lower in some states and higher in others. We also, of course, still have measures like masks that we've used to help manage the spread of COVID.

I think that our rate of vaccination as well as just the American politics are high enough that we won't go back into lockdowns but we need to get more folks vaccinated or else this is going to continue to get worse. And unfortunately, those people who are just getting shots in arms today, Rosemary, they are not going to be fully protected for another four to six weeks if they are getting Moderna or Pfizer, so we have a ways to go and a lot of surge ahead of us before we find that the American population is better protected.

CHURCH: Yes, that is a critical point of course. And doctor, how far away are we from the FDA giving full approval to the COVID vaccines, and how big an impact could that have on those still not willing to get their shots?

RANNEY: There are a number of things I wish I had answers for. How far away we are from the FDA giving full approval is one of those. How far away we are from the FDA giving approval to shots for kids is another. I really don't know. You know, the FDA and full and full approval of these vaccines from my mind and that of most scientists, it should come any day now.

We have plenty of scientific data, we have plenty of safety data, we have plenty of real-world data about the administration of these vaccines.

[03:15:02]

But traditionally, the full process takes months, so my guess is that it will be early fall at best. For kids -- go ahead.

CHURCH: No, no, Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue.

RANNEY: I was going to say for kids, which is the other part, I am hoping for kids that we'll see some approval sometime in mid-fall for those 5 to 11-year-olds.

CHURCH: And doctor, you did mention earlier that there were a variety of reasons, there's conspiracy theories, there's Republicans not necessarily getting behind the shots, that's starting to change, and there are some groups in the community that are very resistant to the shots. What tends to be your message when people come in to the hospital and they say to you, I'm not sure if I should get this. What do you say to them that changes their mind?

RANNEY: So, the first and biggest thing is that I listen, I listen to why they are afraid of getting the shot or why they haven't gotten it yet. I then try to counteract whatever that reason is. If it is frank misinformation, I share with them facts, I share web sites from trusted resources. I share information packets and I sit and I talk and I answer their questions.

Sometimes the reasons are not actual misinformation but it's barriers like I'm afraid I'm not going to feel good the next day or I didn't have transportation, and there, too, listening and providing resources makes a difference.

I think the biggest thing here is it's very easy to say that this is all about politics. And yes, there's a percentage of people who aren't getting vaccinated simply because of politics, but for a lot of folks it's just that fear and that toxic stew on social media, and the best thing we can do is to be respectful and to listen.

CHURCH: Yes, it's a great message. Dr. Megan Ranney, thank you so much for talking with us. We appreciate it.

RANNEY: Thank you.

CHURCH: Coming up, an Olympic sprinter came to Tokyo to win for her country. Now she's hoping for asylum. Her story, next.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Well, try as they might, the Olympics can't divorce themselves from global politics. Now a Belarusian sprinter is asking for asylum and she is pleading for help from the International Olympic Committee. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya says she is being forced to withdraw from the games and that officials in Belarus are trying to send her back to Minsk where she is afraid she will be jailed.

Joining me now, World Sports Patrick Snell here in Atlanta and Blake Essig in Tokyo. Good to see you both. So, Blake, let's go to you first for the latest on Krystsina Tsimanouskaya. What are you learning? BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, she was actually

supposed to be competing tonight in the women's 200-meter race inside the new national stadium. Instead on Sunday the 24-year-old posted this video to social media pleading for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRYSTSINA TSIMANOUSKAYA, BELARUSIAN OLYMPIC ATHLETE (through translator): I asked the International Olympic Committee for help. I was put under pressure and they are trying to forcibly take me out of the country without my consent. I asked the International Olympic Committee to intervene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ESSIG (on camera): Now Tsimanouskaya said she was given one hour to pack her things and was ordered to fly back to Minsk. Immediately she was removed from competition. According to a statement released by the Belarus Olympic Committee, due to her emotional and psychological state, but the sprinter says that's a lie.

Now this all happened just a few days after she posted a video criticizing her coaches and the Belarus national sporting authority late last week. She posted a video on social media where she alleged that she was included on a list to run the four by 400-meter relay behind her back and without her consent.

And even though what end up happening was this is an event that she hadn't prepared for so she was -- it didn't feel like she was ready to be considered for it. Now Tsimanouskaya said she was forcibly taken to Haneda airport by members of the Belarus national team. Once there she approached the Japanese police officer and said she would like to apply for political asylum.

Now overnight, the sprinter said she was secured by police in a special shelter near the airport according to the International Olympic Committee. She now feels safe and secure and the IOC addressed the situation earlier today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ADAMS, SPOKESMAN, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: We are talking again to her this morning to understand what those next steps could be, what she wants to pursue and we will give her support in that decision. As I say, she is in the hands of the authorities at the moment. We have also asked the Belarus IOC for a full written report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ESSIG (on camera): In an interview with the Belarusian sports news on Sunday, Tsimanouskaya said she fears arrests if she returns to her home country. Her current location at this point in Tokyo is unknown. So far, Japan, the Czech Republic and Poland have all offered the sprinter visas, we expect to find out where she'll decide to apply for asylum later today. Rosemary, CNN has reached out to Tsimanouskaya and the Belarus Olympic

Committee for comment. We have not received a response from either party yet.

CHURCH: We'll continue to follow this story, of course. Blake Essig joining us live from Tokyo. Many thanks.

Well, we are also across all the Olympic sporting actions. Patrick Snell is here for that. He joins us. Good to see you, Patrick. So, what a day for Italy. Bring us up-to-date.

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely incredible stuff, Rosemary. Talk about the summer of Italian sport. It just got a lot better, didn't it? Remember after the country's football team won the European championships last month, they can now say they have the fastest man in the world.

Lamont Marcell Jacobs shocking the field by winning the 100 meters. This is an incredible achievement for a man who is competing in long jump until he switched three years ago, it makes it all the more impressive, doesn't it? He's the first European as well to win the prestigious events since (Inaudible) back in 1992. And he celebrated in the arms of his compadre Gianmarco Tamberi who just won in the high jump.

[03:25:04]

And that leads me very nicely to that men's high jump contest. We also see really, a really heartwarming story here, Rosemary, that caught the attention and imagination of so many. There are actually two winners here, I think fair to say. Tamberi and the Qatari's jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim they went up against each other for two hours, both have made the best jumps of the competition at two meters 37.

They were offered a jump off, but no. What happened? Well, I'll tell what you followed. A wonderful moment of sportsmanship. They ask for two gold medals instead, splitting the prize and making history, the first joint winners in Olympic athletics since 1912.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MUTAZ ESSA BARSHIM, SHARED OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST (QATAR): You know, once we finished with that two fair high jump, he look at me, I look at him, we just understood, like there was no need to go, that's it. Not even a question.

GIANMARCO TAMBERI, SHARED OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST (ITALY): Probably I will never ever share a gold medal with anybody else than Mutaz because we passed, we were the only two athletes there passed through the worse that a high jumper can pass through, and I know what he did to be back, he know what I did to be back, and you can't leave the emotion the dream of a gold medal to somebody who sacrificed his entire life for this, and it was just amazing, sharing with a friend is even more beautiful.

BARSHIM: Thank you. TAMBERI: We're going to celebrate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL (on camera): Really, it's a wonderful story. Noe earlier, this Monday we can tell you Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn celebrating a truly golden moment, this after winning the women's 100-meter hurdles in a time of 12.37 seconds. Camacho-Quinn, by the win, claiming Puerto Rico's first medal of this Olympic and second ever Olympic track and field medal.

The United States, Kendra Harrison earning silver and Jamaica's Megan Tapper sealing bronze.

And I do want to get to this, Rosemary. Because a historic moment for a Greek sport as Miltiadis Tentoglou winning the men's long jump with a jump of 8.41 meters. The Cuban competitor Juan Miguel Echevarria also jumping that distance but -- here's the but, Tentoglou winning on a tie breaker due to a longest second-best jump that's what tipped it in his favor. This is Greece's first ever medal in the men's long jump as well, a busy Monday, though in store for us, much more to come this day. Rosemary, back to you.

CHURCH: Yes. You got it all covered there. Patrick Snell, many thanks as always. I appreciate it.

Well, the U.S. its response to an attack on an oil tank in near Oman, the rising tensions in the Gulf region. That's ahead.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. And you are watching CNN Newsroom.

The U.S. says it's confident Iran is responsible for a deadly drone attack on a oil tanker last week. Britain and Israel agree. A Romanian and a Briton were killed in the incident off the coast of Oman.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was no justification for the attack on the Israeli-managed tanker. Iran denies any involvement.

Nic Robertson is in London and joins us now live. Good to see you, Nic. So, what more are you learning about this attack and what evidence is there to support the claim that Iran was responsible?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, deliberate and targeted is how the British foreign office is describing the attack. They are saying it's highly likely that it was Iranian. And also, the British foreign office points out that there had been three previous such attacks on Israeli-linked vessels just since February of this year. And they are saying that this absolutely has to stop, this type of targeting of international shipping and international waters by Iran has to stop. And what we are hearing from the U.S. State Department Secretary

Blinken is that there will be a response forthcoming. We've heard from the Israeli foreign minister over the weekend saying that he is happy that both the U.K. and the U.S. see the situation in the same way that Israel does, that this is Iran targeting these vessels.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman over the weekend however said that this is not true, that Iran wasn't involved. However, early Saturday, an Iranian state link media indicated that according to unnamed sources that this was an attack in response for an Israeli air strike against a military base inside Syria.

So, sort of contradicting messages emerging from Iran but a very clear message emerging from the international community from the United States from Israel and from the U.K. as well that Iran must desist.

Now what will the forthcoming response look like? I think the indications here at the moment is, that it will be more likely to be diplomatic than it is going to be military. However, you know, from Israel's perspective, Iran is a terrorist -- these attacks are terrorism on the high seas, and these will not be tolerated.

So, the tensions around this are clearly rising. And quite where does it go from here? Not clear. And I think one of the interesting pieces of the puzzle at the moment is there is going to be a new president sworn in in Iran, who is viewed as being much more hard line than the previous, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Our Nic Robertson joining us live from London, many thanks.

Well the Taliban are poised to seize their first provincial capital in Afghanistan. There's heavy fighting between the Taliban and Afghan government forces in the lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province. Local journalist say the Taliban controlled several districts of the city. The Afghan military has brought in Special Forces and carried out air strikes.

The U.N. Refugee Agency says more than three and a half million people have been displaced by the fighting across Afghanistan.

Well, Israel's top court could rule soon on a controversial eviction case in Jerusalem. The latest on the Sheikh Jarrah legal battle coming up.

[03:35:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone. Well, a ruling in the deeply contentious case of Palestinian families facing the threats of forced evictions could happen soon. It is a long-running legal battle over the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. And Israel Supreme Court is expected to rule if it will hear arguments in an appeal.

CNN's Hadas Gold joins me now from Jerusalem with the latest. Good to see you, Hadas. So, the threat of Palestinian evictions has the city on edge. How is this likely to play out?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, Rosemary, I am standing outside of the Israeli Supreme Court where this hearing is expected to take place within the next half an hour to an hour. And I just wanted to remind our viewers that it was the tensions around these possible evictions, the tensions in this neighborhood in east Jerusalem that helped contribute to the spark that led to the 11-day bloody conflict between Hamas and militants in Gaza and Israel in May.

So, as you can imagine, tensions and the tensions around this case are very high. I want to walk you through what this case is about. Now, lower courts have upheld that Jews owned land in this east Jerusalem neighborhood prior to 1948 when Israel was created. But Jordan took control of east Jerusalem after 1948 and settled Palestinian refugees in this land.

But when Israel took east Jerusalem the 1967 war it soon passed a law that said that Israeli Jews could try to reclaim property that they say they owned prior to 1948. Now Palestinians contend that these restitution laws are just inherently unfair because they don't have the same sort of legal recourse to try to claim back land that they say they lost and what is now the state of Israel.

Now this legal battle has been going on for many years but it has really been a part of the tensions in Jerusalem, specifically in east Jerusalem in the past few months in the past few years.

We are already seeing protesters starting to gather here around this case. Now even if the Supreme Court denies hearing this appeal, it would essentially mean that these evictions could move forward, but Israeli media is reporting that the government may not carry out the evictions because of the political sensitivities and they may cite a 1991 decision by the attorney general, saying that evictions please do not have to carry out evictions if they think it could lead to further danger.

[03:40:06]

But whatever happens at this hearing today, everybody in the city, in the region, many people are very closely watching, and with a little bit of nerves and tension just because they are still reeling from the violence back in May. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. I know that you'll continue to watch this. Hadas Gold, many thanks.

Well, at least two people have been killed in the Lebanese town of Kaldeh, south of Beirut. Hezbollah says it happened Sunday during a funeral procession for one of its officials who had been killed the previous day. The group calls it a targeted attack against Shiite mourners.

The Lebanese presidency says the army has been deployed to restore calm. The area has had a long history of flare ups between its mixed Shiite and Sunni residents.

I'm Rosemary Church. For our international viewers, World Sport is next, and for everybody else, the news continues in just a moment.

[03:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone. The pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is rising in the U.S. amid a surge in cases driven by the Delta variant. The country is now vaccinating more than 660,000 people per day on average. That's the highest rate in nearly a month.

We're seeing and especially large uptick in southern states where vaccine hesitancy has kept rates low. Dr. Anthony Fauci says outreach from Republican politicians has likely helped to drive numbers up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: I'm also gratified by seeing that even people who in the beginning were reluctant to promote vaccination are now doing it, I mean, people like Republicans, like Steven Scalise or even Governor DeSantis talking about getting people vaccinated, Asa Hutchison out there beating the bushes getting people to get vaccinated. I think that's what's happening now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): Democratic leaders in the U.S. House are pressuring the White House to renew the pandemic eviction moratorium. The federal freeze on evictions expired Saturday even as billions of dollars in housing aid sits untouched. But the White House legal team does not think the administration can renew the moratorium based on a Supreme Court opinion that further extensions would have to go through Congress.

Federal officials say there was resistance from some state governments in getting the housing money to renters. It's estimated more than 11 million adults are behind on rent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN DEESE, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The real issue is how to get money out to renters who through no fault of their own are behind on their rent and to help landlords keep those renters in their homes, which is win-win.

PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We need to continue getting this emergency assistance out to people so that they can stay in their homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (on camera): And while frustration mounts over the nationwide eviction moratorium, lawmakers in Washington are moving one step closer to finalizing an infrastructure bill. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators unveiled the so-called legislative text of the bill on Sunday after months of painstaking negotiations. The deal includes $550 billion in new federal investments in America's

infrastructure over five years. Now this includes money for roads, bridges and other major projects. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, touted the deal on the Senate floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: These days it isn't easy to do major bills in the Senate, especially bipartisan ones, so I have tried to prod the negotiators along when they needed it and given them the space when they've asked for it. In the end, the bipartisan group of senators have produced a bill that will dedicate substantial resources to repair, maintain and upgrade our nation's physical infrastructure.

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CHURCH (on camera): The deal fell short of the over $2 trillion proposal President Joe Biden unveiled back in March, and it drew criticism from many Republicans for making investments in areas not traditionally considered infrastructure such as caregiving and workforce training.

Well, at least 91 large wildfires are burning in the U.S. right now, mainly in the west. Together they have destroyed almost two million acres, around 800,000 hectares. the biggest one, Oregon's bootleg fire has been burning for almost a month, it's now 74 percent contained but it's not expected to be fully under control until early October. Extreme droughts and record-breaking heat continue to fuel these fires.

Well, a 19-year-old pilot is set to become the youngest woman to make a solo flight around the world. To some it may seem daunting, but to Zara Rutherford it's all about reaching new heights.

CNN's Kim Brunhuber has her story.

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In a bid to level the playing field for women in aviation a 19-year-old is taking charge. Zara Rutherford may be young but she's ready to soar off on an almost 30,000 nautical miles solo flight circling the globe. If she succeeds this Belgian British national will be the youngest woman ever to fly solo around the world and the youngest person ever to do it in a microlight airplane.

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ZARA RUTHERFORD, 19-YEAR-OLD PILOT: So, growing up I didn't really see many female pilots or female computer scientists, those are two of my passions and it's quite discouraging when there's no one to, you know, can relate to you on many of these things. So, then I wanted to, you know, fly around the world and have other girls see me and think I'd love to fly one day, too. BRUNHUBER: Rutherford will be flying a customized shark ultralight,

which is one of the sponsors of her flight. the route will begin in Brussels taking her across the Atlantic over Greenland and the Americas traveling as far south as Columbia and Venezuela. She'll then turn north toward the Bearing Strait where she'll cross into Russia and fly over south and southeast Asia, then across Africa and the Middle East before returning home.

She says the journey should take two or three months. Her mission is to close the gender gap in aviation.

RUTHERFORD: There is a difference in aviation which in men and women there's a lot less women in aviation, about commercial pilots, 5 percent are women, which is, I mean, ridiculous, ridiculously small.

BRUNHUBER: Rutherford takes after her parents, both of whom are pilots. Her mother, Beatrice se Smet says she's nervous but proud.

BEATRICE DE SMET, ZARA RUTHERFORD'S MOTHER: When she first told me about it my heart skipped a beat. It took me a little bit to digest, and now I am so proud and fully behind her. But as I said, mixed feelings.

BRUNHUBER: Rutherford hopes this trip can inspire other girls to follow her path both in life and in the air.

Kim Brunhuber, CNN.

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CHURCH (on camera): And joining me now is Zara Rutherford, her historic flight is set for next week. Good to have you with us. Good to talk with you.

RUTHERFORD: Good to talk with you, too.

CHURCH: So, I mean, this has -- it's an incredible goal that you have set yourself as a 19-year-old woman. Talk to us more about what inspired you to try and fly solo around the world at this particular time?

RUTHERFORD: So, it's always been I've always enjoyed adventure and, you know, I've been dreaming about something like this for my whole life. So, when I finally finished school, I had this year where I could actually do something crazy, something completely -- I mean, yes, crazy, really. So, I started off preparing and now here I am flying around the world.

CHURCH: And how confident are you that you can pull this off? And what do you think will be the biggest challenges ahead?

RUTHERFORD: I've got a great team supporting me. So, I'm pretty confident lucky all-around. I think the biggest challenge will be, you know, there's some unexpected spot that can come up, you know, I will be flying in places like northern Iraq, (Inaudible), it anything were to happen (Inaudible) for problem. But I'm really excited. Again, I got a great team supporting me, so nothing bad should happen.

CHURCH: So, what have you been doing to prepare for this long journey? And how did you work out the flight path that you would take, the fuel stops along the way, and how long would you be flying at each interval?

RUTHERFORD: Sure. I have been training for a long time now, I've been, especially this week, you know, I've already been flying every single day, multiple hours a day. And then right behind me there is actually a simulator from aviation in Brussels, and from there I can actually see all the airfields where I will be landing.

So, I've been flying, you know, in New York, in South America, in Russia, just from my home in Brussels. It's been really amazing. The route has been chosen to be the destination for the requirements needed for the flight to be an around-the-world-flight. So, I followed that. And my trip is route is actually bit longer than it has to be, but I just thought, you know, I'm doing this much a lot of fuel and extra miles and having an unforgettable experience.

CHURCH: Of course, I mean, this is a major challenge for you ahead. What is the longest distance you have flown so far before you actually set off and do this?

RUTHERFORD: So just recently actually this was two months ago, I believe, I helped ferry an aircraft from Texas to India. So that was really my longest flight to date, yes.

CHURCH: That is very impressive. And so, I'm not sure, did you mention -- so how long would you fly for? Are you talking about flying say, nine, 10 hours before you take a rest, before you then stop for fuel? How would you -- how would you figure all of that out?

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RUTHERFORD: So, it's a little less, considering I'll be flying two to three months flying 10 hours a day, you know, that start getting dangerous especially with fatigue --

CHURCH: Yes.

RUTHERFORD: -- so I'll be flying up to five hours a day, and then every three days taking a break just to make sure that, you know, I'm in the right mindset. I'm all excited, ready to go, and not too tired. In that way, yes, I'll successfully go around the world.

CHURCH: And how -- how do you put your mind in the right head space for something like this? Because it is, it's huge and certainly a gain at the age of 19?

RUTHERFORD: I love flying and I'm really excited about it. So, I mean, just meeting people, and learning new cultures, and especially, I mean, places, right? I mean, it's so beautiful. So, I'm really excited and happy to go.

CHURCH: And how can people follow you on social media? RUTHERFORD: You can follow me on FlyZolo on Instagram and Facebook,

and I post every day.

CHURCH: All right. Zara Rutherford, thank you so much. And good luck. It's an ordinary fate. I hope you can pull this off safely and courageously of course. Thank you so much for talking with us.

RUTHERFORD: Thank you very much.

CHURCH: Well, finally this hour it might be the most expensive cake you will ever eat, that's if you want a little slice of royalty of course. A piece of cake from Prince Charles's and Princess Diana's wedding 40 years ago is going out for auction. It features a code of arms colored in red, blue and blue. The slices from one of the 23 cakes made for the royal wedding.

But that's not all. Also, up for bidding, printed ceremony and order of service programs for the wedding and a memorial royal breakfast program. The auction will be held on August 11th.

And thank you for being with us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with another hour of news. Do stick around.

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